


Like Phases of the Moon (things are always changing)

by fleetinginfinities



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Character Development, Developing Relationship, F/M, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-29
Updated: 2013-07-13
Packaged: 2017-12-16 13:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/862412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleetinginfinities/pseuds/fleetinginfinities
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lydia and Isaac have never exactly been friends. Not after she rejected him freshman year, and definitely not after he tried to kill her. Up until now, they've been able to avoid each other for the most part, but with the human sacrifices going on and the gang still unsure of the Alpha Pack's intentions, Scott asks Isaac to keep an eye on Lydia. They bring out the worst in each other. Or do they?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Inconveniences

**Author's Note:**

> So, I finally wrote a Lysaac thing! It's the first chapter in what's going to be a multi-chapter fic :) I know that it's not that interesting yet, and that they kind of hate each other, but I needed to make their dynamic believable in order to build on it in upcoming chapters, so hang tight and try to enjoy the sassy banter, at least for now. (I really do believe if they ever interacted on the show, their scenes would be full of so much sass.) 
> 
> P.S, since they've never really interacted properly on the show/I don't have any experience writing either of these characters, I apologize for how out of character they may seem. I'm still trying to get used to writing them. Time to go watch more fan videos, I guess! :P

It's like this:

As much as Isaac couldn't stand the idea, he would do it for Scott, because he owed him that much. 

After everything he's done for him over the past year - including most recently opening his home to him without hesitation -  there isn't a thing in the universe Isaac _wouldn't_ do for Scott, and his eyes, that still wouldn't be enough to repay him.

Scott had approached him about it earlier that day. 

_"Dude, I know you guys aren't on the best of terms, but Stiles told me that Lydia has been waking up screaming a lot lately, and shortly after, somebody dies," he'd said, his voice full of concern._

_"I don't see how that's my problem," Isaac said, not getting where Scott was going with it._

_"Someone needs to keep an eye on her," Scott said, as if it were obvious. "We don't know what's going on with her, but we think it has something to do with the Alpha Pack. They might be tampering with her memories somehow, like they did to you. Or it could have something to do with the bite Peter gave her, because something has been weird with her ever since. I know you're not speaking to Derek right now, and trust me, I don't want to work with him either...but we have to get to the bottom of this. And while we do, someone needs to make sure she stays safe."_

_"What about Stiles?" he asked. "He likes her well enough, can't he do it?"_

_"Stiles could never defend her if something supernatural came for her. Besides, he needs sleep, too."_

_"Well so do we."_

_"Not really, and you know it. Our bodies are constantly recharging, we have way more energy than the average person."_

_"What about Allison? They're best friends and she has arrows..."_

_"Again, she's a person who needs sleep. Besides, I'm not dragging her into this. She made it clear that she doesn't want any part of it."_

_Isaac sighed, it was apparent that Scott had made up his mind that he was the best person for the job. "So you want me to stand guard at Lydia's house at night?"_

_He was only asking for clarification purposes, but he couldn't hide the hint of sarcasm that crept into his voice._

_"It won't be that bad," he promised. "But if you really don't want to, I guess -"_

_"- Fine, I'll do it," he relented. And seeing the look of relief and happiness on Scott's face when he'd finally agreed made it almost worth it._

_Almost._

So there he was, on his way to Lydia's house that very night. He'd opted not to show up in wolf form, mostly because traveling on two legs instead of four was much slower - and he definitely wasn't in any hurry to get there.

He sincerely hoped that it wouldn't be 'that bad,' like Scott assured him. Hell, call him a dreamer, but he even hoped that maybe it would turn out like the way things turned out between him and Allison. They'd been forced to work together, and after an apology on both sides for everything that had happened the previous year, he could comfortably say that they were on good terms again.

Somehow, though, he knew that probably wouldn't be the case with Lydia. 

His grudge against the petite red-head - no, he didn't care what Stiles said, her hair was more ginger than it was 'strawberry blonde' - went a little deeper than a misunderstanding between a hunter and a werewolf pack. He'd actually tried to kill Lydia, once. He'd broken into a house in order to do so, and he would have followed through with it, if it wouldn't have been for Allison and Scott paralyzing Erica and capturing him right after.

Judging by the dirty looks she gave him every time they were within a ten foot radius of each other, he knew that she definitely hadn't forgotten about that.

There was another reason for the bad tension between them, too, though. Granted, one that was much more juvenile than the former.

Lydia had rejected him when he'd asked her out freshman year. And it wasn't really the fact that she'd said no, but it was the way she'd gone about it. 

She had laughed in his face, spit out a sarcastic remark, and humiliated him in front of everyone. She crushed his feelings as well as his ego, and she never apologized or even showed any kind of remorse for being so cruel about it. She'd just pursed her lips and flipped her hair and strutted in the opposite direction while all of his friends made jokes and wolf-whistled at her.

He'd long since gotten over his crush on her, but thinking back on that day still made his stomach drop. 

He and Lydia were from two different worlds, two worlds that were never supposed to come together - yet they had. And he knew it was going to turn out to be a disaster.

He made his way across the street and over to the gate that lead to her backyard. In one swift motion, he jumped the fence and landed without so much as rustling the leaves that had fallen to the ground.

Lydia's backyard looked like something out of a magazine. Beacon Hills wasn't a small town, but it wasn't the L.A suburbs, either. Although, Lydia's house looked like it could belong. She had a huge back porch that was lit up by multiple glowing orbs placed perfectly around the flowerbeds, a big in-ground pool with a fountain in the middle, and a stone pathway leading up to the back door. 

Glancing up at the house, there was only a single lit bedroom, the one that he suspected was Lydia's, by the looks of the pink walls inside. He took a moment to listen closely, and he could only hear two heart beats. One was human - Lydia's, he assumed. Apparently she was the only one home. The other belonged to a much smaller animal - probably a dog or a cat. 

Her window was open, and he could see the wind rustling the drapes that were inside, so he knew he had to be extra quiet. He briefly wondered what she might be doing in there as he (cautiously) made his way over to the back porch step where he sat down carefully. If he was going to be Lydia's guard dog (literally) he was definitely going to sit back and relax for a bit. 

What he didn't expect to happen as he sat down was for a motion light to come on, one that was brighter than any he'd ever seen. It almost illuminated the whole back yard, all the way out to the pool. 

He groaned, but it was drowned out by the shrill sound of barking - no, more like  _yapping_  coming from the upstairs bedroom. Yeah, she definitely had a dog. 

Just seconds later, Lydia was peering out her window in confusion, and her eyes widened when she saw him.

"Isaac Lahey?" she asked, squinting slightly. "What the  _hell_  are  _you_  doing here?"

Isaac for one, wasn't in the mood to shout up to her from the ground - that seemed  _way_  too much like the start of a fairy tale or an an 80's movie - so he did the logical thing and climbed the tree that was growing beside the house and dropped onto the part of the roof that jutted out just below her window. That part of the roof, however, was slotted downward and he struggled to maintain his balance once landing, gripping the side of the window pane for support.

"Look, don't freak out -"

"What are you doing here?" she repeated, looking even more surprised than before. It was then that he noticed that she was clutching her dog to her chest like it was some fancy bag she didn't want stolen, and the dog was going insane in her grasp.

"Prada, shh," she scolded. 

Isaac resisted the urge to snort.  _Prada_. Of  _course_  her small, annoying lap dog was named after a fancy designer handbag. How hadn't he seen  _that_  coming?

She looked back at Isaac - well, glared would be a better word to describe it. 

"You have five seconds to answer me, what are -"

"Well give me a chance to!" he hissed, nearly loosing his footing on the shingles again. He gestured to inside her bedroom with his free hand. "Do you mind?"

Lydia shot him another look, but ultimately stepped back, giving him enough space to step inside her bedroom.

"Okay," he began, "firstly, this was not my idea. Just to make that clear."

Lydia pursed her lips, waiting for him to continue, but the truth was, he hadn't thought that much into it. He hadn't expected her to find out he was watching over house at night. He hadn't thought in advance what he would say.

"Scott asked me to guard your house - well, you, because he knows you've been having nightmares."

She huffed, muttering  _"Stiles"_  under her breath in a threatening tone.

"I didn't expect you to find out about it," he admitted.

"You didn't expect me to catch you lurking around my house at night like a creep?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's not like I want to be here," he said. "Scott is just worried about you. I know it's hard to believe that someone might actually care about you -- I'm having trouble believing it myself, but he does, And I care about him, so I agreed to do this."

Lydia bit her lip, looking surprised and uncertain. She turned away from him and walked over to her bed, plopping down on it. There were textbooks scattered across her comforter, and he realized that she must have been doing homework. At midnight.

Go figure.

"So, what? You're just going to sit outside my house every night?" she demanded, releasing Prada and folding her arms across her chest.

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess so..."

She laughed. "No. You're definitely not. I can take care of myself, I'm not Scott's problem to worry about. You can tell him that on your way back, because you're leaving."

 Isaac exhaled, running a hand through his hair. He'd known this wasn't going to be easy. "Okay, I know you don't like me, but can you at least stop with the whole ice princess act? I've taken the cold shoulder from you for long enough."

Lydia shot him an incredulous look. "The last time I ever talked to you, I distinctly remember you tried to kill me."

"I was a new werewolf and Derek thought you were the kanima," he said defensively. "Erica and I were following orders, I didn't know any better."  

She scoffed. "Yeah, well, when you idiots figured finally it out, you went after my  _boyfriend_."

"We didn't kill him, though."

"You wanted to."

Isaac pinched the bridge of his nose. He hated confrontations. Especially confrontations with dramatic spoiled brats. "Listen, I don't want to be here any more than you want me here, but Scott asked me to keep an eye on you, and since I'm living with him now, it's the least I can do. And the least  _you_  can do is pretend like you have some kind of respect for me."

"Hmm," she looked off into the distance thoughtfully before cutting her eyes back to him irritably. "No, I'd rather not."

He sighed. "Lydia..."

She held her hand up. "The only thing more exhausting than hating you from afar is arguing with you to your face. If you have to stay because you're some scared little pup who follows orders from Scott McCall of all people, then so be it. But let me assure you, if you try anything sneaky I will call Allison and I'm sure she'll have no problem coming over and shooting you with arrows repeatedly until you leave."

"Trust me, I'm not going to do anything 'sneaky,'" he said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not interested in wasting any of my time or energy on trying to sabotage your life or whatever. I'm just going to sit there until I'm allowed to leave."

Lydia gave a slight nod, seemingly satisfied with that answer.

Sensing that the conversation was over, Isaac smirked just before ducking out of the window. "You know, Allison and I are kind of friends, now."

"Isaac, wait," she said, catching his attention just before he jumped.

He turned and peered back inside at her, tilting his head questioningly.

"You said you were living with Scott. Why?"

She'd asked casually, but Isaac could hear the hint of curiosity in her voice.

He looked down. "Derek, uh, kicked me out."

"Why?" she repeated, failing at masking her interest. 

He scrutinized her, an amused expression falling over his face. He climbed back into the room and sauntered over to her bed. "I'll tell you that when you tell me why, exactly, I smell Aiden in here. Of all people." He'd caught whiff of his scent as soon as he'd entered the bedroom. He'd obviously been over since he and Scott had overheard their conversation in the hall a few days back. 

He wasn't sure why nobody had informed her yet that Aiden was a werewolf, but seeing as how she was unharmed, apparently it wasn't necessary at the moment. He supposed he'd leave it to Scott to tell her. 

He was definitely going to report to Scott that Aiden had been in her house, though.

"Why do you think that's any of your business?" she shot back.

"What, you can ask questions and I can't?"

She stared at him for a moment, seemingly scrutinizing him. Then, finally, she shrugged. "I'm tired of being bored and ignored."

He rolled his eyes at that. "Being bored explains why you're running around with Beacon Hill's biggest jerk, but you've never been ignored by a guy a day in your life."

"I mean here at home, you imbecile. My parents don't know I exist."

Isaac fell silent at that. 

Lydia took that as her cue to go on. "I needed a distraction, and Aiden has been flirting with me relentlessly all week, so he'll do. For now."

Isaac shook his head a little, but said nothing.

"Your turn. Why did Derek kick you out?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"But you said-"

He smirked, making his way back over to the window. "I guess I just beat Lydia Martin at her own game, didn't I?"           

With that, Isaac jumped out the window and down to her patio, but not before looking over his shoulder and appreciating the stunned look on her face.

Spending time with Lydia was going to be a pain, but getting under her skin might just be a little bit fun.


	2. Questionable Behavior

"Oh come on, he was trying to do the right thing. You know Scott always has good intentions," Allison said as she and Lydia walked up the stairs to school the next morning. 

Lydia had spent the whole car ride filling her in on what had happened the night before, and she didn't spare any details. She told Allison everything, right down to Isaac shooting her _dog_ a dirty look. 

"Allison, I don't think you understand. I've talked to him twice in my entire life and Scott sends him to 'protect' me? Not even a year ago he was trying to kill me!" 

Why was it that nobody ever saw things to be as much of a problem as she did? She knew most of her friends had been pretty socially inept up until the past year, but they had to know that regardless of his intentions, it was downright creepy to stand in someone's yard all night to watch over them. Didn't they?

It reminded her vaguely of the book she'd read in English freshman year,where this vampire guy who was unable to sleep just stayed in his girlfriend's room all night and watched _her_ sleep. She shuddered. Her life was _so_ not allowed to start paralleling some cheesy romance novel. 

Romance, in her opinion, was overrated anyway. 

Allison bit her lip, a sign that Lydia had come to learn meant that she had something to say, but wasn't sure whether she should voice it or not.

She readjusted her purse on her shoulder and pushed the door open. "Oh, God. What are you thinking?"

Allison shrugged. "I don't know, maybe you should give him a chance..."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Look, you have every right to be mad about what Isaac and the rest of Derek's pack put you through last year, no one is expecting you to just get over that," she said. "All I'm saying is that Isaac isn't that bad. And that's coming from someone who tried to kill him multiple times last year."

Lydia twisted her face up in disgust. She knew life at Beacon Hills would never be anything close to normal ever again, but how someone could casually say they were now friends with someone they originally wanted to murder was on a whole different level of messed up. 

_And everybody thinks I'm the insane one,_ she thought to herself.

The two rounded the hallway corner and made their way to Allison's locker; she put the combination in as Lydia stood beside her, leaning against the other lockers and watching the people around her.

"Who are you looking for?"

Lydia's eyes cut to Allison. "Scott, obviously."

That earned her a sigh. "I really think you should just leave it alone. Scott knows what he's doing. So what, Isaac spends a few hours at your house at night? You can just ignore him."

"Allison, if Scott or Derek or anyone tried to pull this kind of a stunt on you, you would have been outraged and gone on some rant about how empowered you are and how you can take care of yourself, so do _not_ act like you would be cool with this." 

"Okay, I get it," she relented. "But I know archery and I'm experienced in hunting and I actually _can_ take care of myself. Besides, I'm not the one having nightmare premonitions about people dying," Allison shot back, matching Lydia's sassy tone.

Lydia's eyes widened and she shushed her immediately, wondering if Allison Argent had _completely_ lost her mind. "There are FBI agents around every corner, and unless you want me to be taken to a psychiatric hospital in a straitjacket and have my brain turned into a science project, I suggest we don't talk about _the thing_ right now."

"Right. Sorry," Allison said, shooting her an apologetic look. 

That was the irony of it all. Tragedies and deaths and unexplained occurrences had been going on in Beacon Hills for over a year, and for some reason, the police and FBI were just now catching on to it. The things that she and Allison and their friends had been dealing with for all this time was just part of their daily lives now. And it seemed as though only Lydia realized how _sad_ that was, in all senses of the word.

She didn't say any of that, though. Instead, she gave Allison a half-smile and waved her hand, dismissing the subject. All while inwardly praying for the day she could leave this hellhole of a town to come faster. 

//

The only class that Lydia had with both Scott and Isaac was Chemistry, and she had been preparing exactly what she was going to say to them in her head all morning. 

She strode into the classroom, keeping her head held high and clicking her heels louder than usual. She was fully aware of the heads that turned her way as she passed in front of the chalkboard and made her way to Scott's desk, who was rather oblivious to her dramatic entrance. His face was buried in a book, one that Lydia recognized immediately. _Heart of Darkness_ , they were reading it in English class.

And she thought _she_ was an overachiever. 

She stopped in front of his desk and leaned over it, putting her hands on either side.

Scott closed the book slowly, looking up in confusion. "Uh...hey, Lydia?"

"We need to talk," she said bluntly.

"About?"

"About what you were on when you thought sending Isaac Lahey to sit in my backyard all night without my knowledge was a good idea."

Scott sighed, looking apologetic. "I was going to ask you first, but you didn't show up to the meeting yesterday. I was worried about you, Lydia. We're _all_ worried about you, and we want to make sure nothing bad happens." 

Lydia took a step back and smoothed her skirt, her expression softening just slightly. "Well that's nice and all, but it's not necessary. I don't need a guard dog."

Scott studied her. "You know, I don't think this is about the fact that I sent someone to watch you, but more about _who_ I sent. What's up with you and Isaac?"

"There's nothing 'up' with us. It's simple; I don't like him, he doesn't like me. I don't want him staying at my house until the wee hours of the morning when I'm sleeping. I don't think that's so hard to understand."

"Well as lame and cliche` as this sounds, I'm only doing it for your own protection," he said, his eyes shining with sincerity. "I just...I don't want to see another person I care about get hurt. That happened way too much last year, especially to you. I don't want it to be like that anymore...I'm trying -"

Lydia cut him off by holding up her hand. "I know," she said softly. She didn't need him to say it. She knew he was trying to be a better person than he'd been before, and so far, he was really stepping up and proving himself. 

Not that he'd ever been a bad person. He was always far from it, in her opinion. She'd never admit it, but she'd always had a soft spot for him. Not only was he something of a hero, but furthermore, he always meant well. All of his mistakes had been laced been with good intentions, as Allison had said. And at the end of the day, even though last year had been hell for her, that's all that really mattered to her.

He went on. "- Besides, it will only be for a few more nights, tops. Deaton and Stiles are working on figuring out what's going on with you, and as soon as they know, we'll fix it." 

The warning bell rang, signaling that class was about to start, and Lydia snapped her head up just in time to see the last few students hustling through the door and slipping into their desks. Isaac was among them, looking slightly flustered and more than a little annoyed.

As she made her way over to her own desk and he sat down in his, they briefly made eye contact. He cut his eyes away quickly, which only added to her curiosity. Why had he almost been late, and what had happened that put that kind of look on his face?

She risked another glance his way, only to see that he was staring at Scott and they looked to be having some sort of unspoken conversation. Scott's face was lined with worry, which made her heart rate spike ever so slightly. 

Which, with having an extremely heightened sense of hearing, made both Isaac and Scott turn and look her way immediately to see what was wrong. 

Before any of them could question each other, Mr. Harris walked into the classroom and the student immediately fell silent.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized halfheartedly. Everything that Harris said always sounded insincere and monotone, probably because the guy looked like he hadn't smiled in years. His eyes swept over the class and his expression hardening slightly as his gaze settled on Isaac. "Before we get into our lesson for the day, l'd like to remind everyone that physical violence is _always_  punishable and will not be tolerated here at Beacon Hills."

Isaac slumped down in his seat ever so slightly and looked to the ground, clearly ashamed of something.

It didn't take long for Lydia to put the two halves together. Apparently, Isaac had gotten into a fight with someone before class. The question was, who with?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm sorry this has taken awhile to get up, I've been so busy this week packing and getting things ready for vacation (which I'm leaving for tomorrow! Well, technically later today since it's past midnight here. Yay!) but I did want to get something posted before leaving, because I don't know how much time I'll have to write. The good news is that I won't have to do much writing, as I already have another chapter halfway done, so the next upload will come much sooner. I don't know if it will be this week, but I'll try :) I do have a 9 hour car ride, so maybe I'll be able to get something else up! 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys liked this! I know there was basically 0 interaction between Isaac and Lydia, but I'm still trying to establish Lydia's character and personality and also show how she acts around her other friends, because they are a pretty important part to where I'm going with this story. Next chapter, I promise things will start to get good :)
> 
> On another note, WHO IS EXCITED FOR MOTEL CALIFORNIA? I can hardly wait, I've been waiting for this episode for months now. The cast and crew have hyped it up so much, and the promos make it look like it's going to be insanely good!
> 
> Also, this episode seems to center on the mains (and yes, I count Isaac as a main) so what if Isaac and Lydia get a scene together, guys!? Like, even just being in the same room together. Wouldn't that be awesome! :)


	3. An Understanding

It was only eleven o'clock that night when Lydia heard a light rapping on her window. Her curtains were drawn, and she was sitting at her desk typing a research paper.

The logical part of her brain knew immediately that it had to be Isaac. Nobody would knock if they were trying to break in and kill her, after all. Despite knowing that, she had to will the other part of her to calm down as she walked over to the window and pulled the shades with shaky hands.

She sighed in relief when she saw that it _was_  Isaac, sitting on the slope of her roof right outside of the window. She pushed it open and took a step back, allowing him to climb inside.

It was annoying to her, how jumpy she was these days. Thinking about it caused her to flash back to just the year before, and the countless number of nights she'd left her doors unlocked for Jackson to sneak in whenever he wanted. She hadn't so much as flinched when she heard her bedroom door creak open and felt strong arms snake around her in bed. Most of the time when she was really exhausted, she didn't even turn and look to see if it was him or not. Beacon Hills had never been a dangerous town, she hadn't had anything to worry about.

However, she'd been a whole different person back then. And her situation with Jackson had been entirely different than her current situation with Isaac was; also, adding in her new found knowledge about the supernatural chaos that was going on into the equation, she knew she was probably entitled to be a little on edge and easily frightened every now and again.

"You're early," she commented as soon as he regained his footing.

Isaac stared at her for a few long seconds in both amusement and confusion. "I've only ever been here one other time, that's not enough for you to already gauge a time table for me."

"Yeah, well, if you make a habit of showing up here before midnight, you'll find that I'm not always going to be alone," she said.

It took Isaac a moment to realize what she meant by that, and she swore she saw a flicker of annoyance cross his face. Whatever _that_  meant.

All he said, though, was, "I'll make sure to keep that in mind."

Lydia nodded, although she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed she hadn't been able to get a bigger rise out of him. She'd known he'd had a crush on her once; she would always catch him staring at her in class freshman year. Now, it seemed that those feelings were completely gone. Which was new to her. No guy ever simply got over her. Hell, Stiles had been pining over her for  _eleven_  years. Jackson had been calling her once a week ever since he left for London, even though that situation was slightly more complicated and half the time she didn't know whether or not to pick up the phone. 

It made her wonder if Isaac had somebody special in his life. Maybe it was that Erica chick; the one who went from frizzy-haired freak to blonde bombshell after her transformation. 

The thought made her feel slightly uneasy, but more because of the fact that Erica was a bitch that thought just because she learned how to use a curling iron and apply makeup she could take over and become the school's new "It Girl." _As if._

"So, what's on the agenda for tonight?" Lydia asked. "Try to prevent any new murders, make sure I don't go insane in my sleep?"

"Pretty much," Isaac said. "You could make that a whole lot easier if you actually went to sleep instead of interrogating me."

Lydia hummed in amusement. "Someone's in a touchy mood tonight."

"I wasn't until I got here. What is your excuse for being so rude all the time, anyway?" There was a hint of irritation in his voice.

"What's yours?" she asked evenly.

Anger swept through him, but he kept it under control. The last thing he wanted to do was wolf out on her, no matter how absolutely infuriating she was. "You don't know a thing about me or my past, Lydia."

She raised an eyebrow. "Same goes for you."

He gave a short, humorless laugh at that. He had already been fed up, but now she had the audacity to compare her life to his? "You have everything anyone could ever want. You're rich, you're popular, you get perfect grades, you have a home and a family..." he shook his head, trailing off. "I don't get it. How can you call your life anything but perfect?"

Lydia didn't even hesitate. "For some unfathomable reason, my so-called friends didn't think it was important to tell me until a few months ago that apparently werewolves run the show at Beacon Hills. Let's see...I rose an evil sociopath from the dead, I wake up wailing whenever somebody is about to get murdered, my boyfriend was forced to move to London...I- my life isn't anywhere near perfect. You have no idea what you're talking about."

Whatever sarcastic remark Isaac was planning to use died on his tongue and he fell silent, feeling slightly ashamed. He'd known most of that stuff, of course, but he'd never really thought about how it from her point of view. Lydia was a strong girl; stronger than most, he knew that. But not even she could go through all of that and remain emotionally unscathed. 

If Lydia noticed the sheepish expression on his face, she didn't say anything.

"Speaking of things we don't know about each other, you never did tell me why you're living with Scott," she reminded him. "You also refuse to tell me who you got in a fight with and why, and it seems a lot to me like I'm the only one who's not in on what's going on. Again. So I'm going to give you one chance to tell me the truth, or I'm leaving."

Isaac snickered at that. Lydia Martin  _would_  be the girl to threaten to leave her own house. "You know I can physically stop you from leaving, right?"

"You wouldn't dare if you knew what was good for you," Lydia said. "You might be a werewolf, but if I scream when someone else is being killed, imagine what I might do if someone was trying to hurt me."

Isaac sighed and rolled his eyes simultaneously. "Oh yeah? Where would you go?"

"Aiden's." She said it in a "as a matter of fact" tone, and was thoroughly pleased when she saw his mocking expression turn into that of an irritated one. "You know, I find it amusing that you hate him so much. What's your problem with him, anyway? Are you threatened he might take your place on the lacrosse team, or something?"

Isaac frowned. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into with him."

"Oh, God, now you sound like Scott. I think I can find out for myself."

"Lydia," he said seriously, looking her dead in the eye. "I don't think you should hang out with him."

She narrowed her eyes, surprised by the sudden change in his mood. "Give me one good reason not to."

"Scott wanted to be the one to tell you," he said quietly.

"Tell me what?" 

Isaac took a cautious step forward and sat down in the chair at her desk, swiveling it around so that it was facing her. "Aiden is part of the new pack that has been causing problems here."

Lydia's eyes widened, but she said nothing.

"I don't trust him, and I don't trust their intentions," he continued. "Aiden getting close to you is a way to get to us. Scott doesn't want to see you hurt...and neither do I."

"I'm not hurt, because I don't _care_  about him," Lydia said immediately. That was the truth, mostly. It didn't feel  _great_  to know that she was just an object in a rivalry game between two werewolf packs, but hadn't he just been an object to her as well? A distraction?

She wasn't mad, she decided. She was just glad he'd decided to have sex with her instead of  _killing_ her. 

Isaac began to talk fast, spilling more of the story. "The reason I was late to class today was because I heard him talking to Ethan, about Scott and I... and about you. I snapped. I walked up to him and threw him against the locker, and that's when Harris walked by and saw what was going on. That's the second time this week I've been in trouble because of them. The first time they framed me for beating them up, when I didn't touch either of them." 

"I'm sorry," she said. And she was. She hadn't known any of that. If she had, she would have never gave Aiden a second glance. Not only did she not appreciate being used (she liked doing the using, thank you very much), but she didn't like people messing with her friends, either.

Isaac shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It's not really your problem, after all. I just thought you should know. But can you promise me one thing?"

Lydia nodded, knowing she owed him that much.

"Promise me you won't see him anymore."

"I promise," she said quietly. 

He looked relieved. "Thank you."

//

Long after Isaac left, Lydia stayed up replaying their conversation in her head as she tossed and turned all night. She was feeling so many different things and she needed to sort them out. It was a good thing the next day was Saturday, because there was no chance of her getting any kind of sleep.

She was annoyed about Aiden. She was upset that once again, she'd been the last person to know about what was going on. She was worried about Scott and the rest of the pack. She was still confused about what was going on with  _her_.

However, one feeling stood out from the others. She was relieved, and even kind of grateful. Having Isaac around really  _wasn't_  so bad. Yeah, he was snarky and dark and unpredictable, but he was also the only person in a long time that was treating her like a normal human being and not the town nutjob that was too fragile to hold her own. He challenged her. He wasn't afraid to talk back to her. He wasn't easily manipulated. He was a new and mysterious element in her life, like a puzzle she knew would take awhile to piece together. 

It was a breath of fresh air. 

They weren't exactly friends, but they did have an understanding. And as she closed her eyes and finally drifted into unconsciousness just as the first sign of morning sunlight began to creep through her window, she was kind of looking forward to the next time she would see him. Even if just a little.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaack! :D 
> 
> As I predicted, I didn't get too much writing done over vacation, but as soon as I came home today, inspiration struck and I typed this chapter out in nearly a half an hour. Which I counted as a personal victory. Anyway, I had so much fun writing this. I hope you liked it :) I'm not sure when the next update will be, but I have a chapter outline ready so it's just a matter of typing it. Hopefully it won't be too long a wait, I'll try to start updating at LEAST once a week. Maybe more, depending on when I write :)
> 
> Also, thank you all so much for the support I've gotten already! The amount of kind messages I get on Tumblr is kind of insane, especially with how small of a ship Lysaac is. The feedback I've been getting means the world to me, honestly. I love you guys!


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